The Rockaway Parkway Line is a

public transit Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typi ...

line in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, running mostly along

Rockaway Parkway Rockaway Parkway is a major commercial street in the Canarsie & Brownsville neighborhoods of Brooklyn, New York. Canarsie High School, as well as a firehouse and several homes and businesses are on Rockaway Parkway. The Rockaway Parkway stati ...

between

Canarsie Pier Canarsie ( ) is a mostly residential neighborhood in the southeastern portion of Brooklyn, New York City. Canarsie is bordered on the east by Fresh Creek Basin and East 108th Street; on the north by Linden Boulevard; on the west by Ralph Ave ...

and the Canarsie–Rockaway Parkway terminal of the

BMT Canarsie Line The BMT Canarsie Line (sometimes referred to as the 14th Street–Eastern Line) is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway system, named after its terminus in the Canarsie neighborhood of Brooklyn. It is served by the ...

of the

New York City Subway The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, an affiliate agency of the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Opened on October ...

. Originally a

streetcar line A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

, it is now the B42

bus route A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...

, operated by the

New York City Transit Authority The New York City Transit Authority (also known as NYCTA, the TA, or simply Transit, and branded as MTA New York City Transit) is a New York state public-benefit corporations, public-benefit corporation in the U.S. state of New York (state), New ...

. The

Wilson Avenue Line The Wilson Avenue Line is a public transit line in Brooklyn, New York City, running along Wilson Avenue and Rockaway Avenue between Williamsburg and Canarsie. Originally a streetcar line, it is now the B60 bus route, operated by MTA New Yor ...

(now the B60 bus) continues north on Rockaway Parkway from the end of the B42 to Williamsburg.

History

The line was originally operated as an electric streetcar by the

Nassau Electric Railroad The Nassau Electric Railroad was an electric street railway company in the U.S. state of New York. The company operated throughout the borough of Brooklyn, as well as over the Brooklyn Bridge and Williamsburg Bridge into Manhattan. The company wa ...

, a company that became part of the

Brooklyn Rapid Transit The Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT) was a public transit holding company formed in 1896 to acquire and consolidate railway lines in Brooklyn and Queens, New York City, United States. It was a prominent corporation and industry leader using ...

(BRT) Company system, subsequently reorganized as the

Brooklyn and Queens Transit Corporation The Brooklyn and Queens Transit Corporation (B&QT) was a subsidiary of the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation that operated streetcars in Brooklyn and Queens, New York City, United States (as well as into Manhattan via the Brooklyn Bridge a ...

in 1928 before passing to city ownership in 1940. Initially cars were through-routed between Williamsburg and Canarsie Pier via the

(then Hamburg Avenue) and Rockaway Parkway. It was later cut at the company's

Canarsie Depot Canarsie ( ) is a mostly residential neighborhood in the southeastern portion of Brooklyn, New York City. Canarsie is bordered on the east by Fresh Creek Basin and East 108th Street; on the north by Linden Boulevard; on the west by Ralph Av ...

at the corner of Hegeman and Rockaway Avenues, running via Rockaway Avenue and Rockaway Parkway to the Canarsie Pier. At the

Canarsie Line The BMT Canarsie Line (sometimes referred to as the 14th Street–Eastern Line) is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway system, named after its terminus in the Canarsie neighborhood of Brooklyn. It is served by the ...

rapid transit station at

and Glenwood Road, the Rockaway Parkway Line crossed the rapid transit line's surface right-of-way. The rapid transit line then turned east on private-right-of-way to parallel the trolley line to the shore and ferry. Rockaway Parkway bus vc

When the elevated train service was truncated at the Rockaway Parkway station after the 1917 summer season, the BRT operated a shuttle trolley on the former surface elevated line trackage, but did not discontinue the Rockaway Parkway Line. Under city ownership, the trolley shuttle on the former elevated line's right-of-way was abandoned on November 21, 1942. On the same day, the terminals of the Wilson Avenue and Rockaway Parkway lines were changed from the Canarsie Depot to the Rockaway Parkway station, essentially turning the Rockaway Parkway Line into a replacement of the Canarsie Line shuttle. At the Canarsie Pier end of the line, the Rockaway Parkway trolleys were rerouted via St. Jude Place and Canarsie Road in order to access the former shuttle station at the shore. In recognition of the fact that the Rockaway Parkway Line was replacing the survivor of a former rapid transit service, a free transfer between the Canarsie Line and the Rockaway Parkway trolley was instituted with trolleys entering the

fare control In rail transport, the paid area is a dedicated "inner" zone in a railway station or metro station, accessible via turnstiles or other barriers, to get into which, visitors or passengers require a valid ticket, checked smartcard or a pass. A sys ...

of the Rockaway Parkway station. The free subway-streetcar (later subway-bus) transfer arrangement continues today, and is the only such transfer that can be made without having to use a MetroCard. Buses designated B42 were substituted for streetcars on April 29, 1951. On December 1, 2022, the MTA released a draft redesign of the Brooklyn bus network. As part of the redesign, the B42 would retain its route, but closely spaced stops would be eliminated. The B42 would be supplemented by the existing B60 route and the new B76 route, which would also run along Rockaway Parkway and Rockaway Avenue.

References

{{Brooklyn bus routes Streetcar lines in Brooklyn B042 B042